Commemorating the One Hundred and Fiftieth Anniversary of the American Civil War

James Miley (Abt. 1830-1863)

James Miley was from Prescott when he enlisted in the Lyon Light Guards—what became Company A of the 12th Wisconsin Infantry—on October 23, 1861. He was killed in action on June 21, 1863, at the Siege of Vicksburg in Mississippi.

Miley was born in Ireland in approximately 1830 and was listed as a laborer in the 1860 federal census of Prescott. He left a wife and three small children.

The following notice is from the July 18, 1863, issue of The Prescott Journal:

JAS. MILEY of Co. A was shot in the head and instantly killed. He had just returned from Prescott, where he had been on furlough. This is the only man our regiment have had killed. Miley was a good soldier, ever ready to do his duty cheerfully.

This blog presents the stories of the American Civil War as it affected the inhabitants of Northwest Wisconsin, either directly or indirectly. These stories are both local and national, and are presented through newspaper articles, letters, diaries, and photographs. The blog will mirror the war; it will begin small and grow as the months march on. Here are the stories of the men and women, the soldiers and civilians who experienced the Civil War, presented on the date they were originally written or appeared in print.